“In this case and others, many state and local regulators have eliminated the direct purchasing option for consumers, by taking steps to protect existing middlemen from new competition,” wrote the directors in April. “We believe this is bad policy.”

The prohibitions on direct sales in Missouri and New Jersey particularly affect Tesla Motors, a relatively new entrant in the auto market that has been prevented from selling directly to consumers, the staff comment states. But their effects are likely more far-reaching.

The FTC goes on to conclude that the legislatures for the states of Missouri and New Jersey should “permit manufacturers and consumers to reengage the normal competitive process that prevails in most other industries.”

We have the feeling that National Auto Dealers Association (NADA) won’t take too kindly to the strong wording from the FTC. When the FTC’s pro-Tesla blog was posted last month, the NADA responded by claiming that “the fierce competition between local dealers in a given market drives down prices both in and across brands” and that “buying a car isn’t like buying a pair of shoes online. Cars require licensing to operate, insurance and financing to take home, and contain hazardous materials, so states are fully within their rights to protect consumers by standardizing the way cars are sold.”